million
MIHL-yuhn
Million (num) means the number 1,000,000; a thousand thousand. Example: “The company sold over a million units last year.”
num
1
The number 1,000,000; a thousand thousand.
"The company sold over a million units last year."
"The lottery jackpot reached three million pounds."
"The city has a population of nearly two million people."
2
Informally, a very large but unspecified number.
"I have a million things to do before the wedding."
"I've told you a million times to put your shoes away."
"There are a million reasons to visit the coast in summer."
How to use million
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe number one thousand thousand — 1,000,000 — also used loosely to mean "a huge number".
Common mistake
Don't add an "s" when a number precedes it as a quantity: say "three million pounds", not "three millions of pounds".
Common pairings
a million dollars
millions of people
one in a million
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Word forms
- Plural
- millions
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The company sold over a _____ units last year.
Etymology
From Old French million, from Italian milione, built from mille ("thousand") plus an augmentative suffix meaning "big thousand".
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for million
region
ablation
allusion
emulsion
ideation
novation
diffusion
elocution
extension
oxidation
perfusion
selection
See all rhymes for million →
Frequently asked questions
What does “million” mean?
The word “million” means the number 1,000,000; a thousand thousand. In plain terms, the number one thousand thousand — 1,000,000 — also used loosely to mean "a huge number".
How do you pronounce “million”?
“Million” is pronounced MIHL-yuhn (/ˈmɪl.jən/ in IPA).
How do you use “million” in a sentence?
Here is “million” used in a sentence: “The company sold over a million units last year.”
What is another word for “million”?
Words with a similar meaning to “million” include mil, mil., mln, mln., M and M..
What part of speech is “million”?
“Million” is a num.
Where does the word “million” come from?
The word “million” comes from Old French. From Old French million, from Italian milione, built from mille ("thousand") plus an augmentative suffix meaning "big thousand".
Is “million” a common word?
“Million” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “million” have?
“Million” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the number 1,000,000; a thousand thousand.
What is the difference between a million and a billion?
A million is 1,000,000 — a one followed by six zeros. A billion is a thousand times larger: 1,000,000,000, a one followed by nine zeros on the modern short scale used worldwide. It takes a thousand millions to make a single billion, which is why the gap between the two is so vast.
How many zeros are in a million?
A million has six zeros: 1,000,000. You can picture it as a one followed by six noughts, or as a thousand multiplied by a thousand. Each group of three digits is marked off by a comma, so a million is written with two commas separating millions, thousands and units.
How many thousands make a million?
It takes one thousand thousands to make a million, since 1,000 multiplied by 1,000 equals 1,000,000. Put another way, a million is a thousand groups of a thousand. This is why very large everyday amounts, like populations or budgets, are often counted in thousands before they reach the millions.
Is a million a lot?
It depends entirely on context. A million seconds is only about eleven and a half days, yet a million pounds is a life-changing sum for most people. As a number it feels large in everyday terms but small in scientific or astronomical ones, where billions and trillions are common.
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